


Resting Murder Face

by camichats



Category: Marvel
Genre: Alpha Bucky Barnes, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Angst, Avengers Family, Getting Together, M/M, Matchmaking, Oblivious, Omega Tony Stark, One Night Stands, Pining, Self-Worth Issues, Sexual Content, Sober Tony Stark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-06
Updated: 2019-01-06
Packaged: 2019-10-02 15:34:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17266814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/camichats/pseuds/camichats
Summary: Everyone knows that Bucky and Tony love each other....Except for Tony and Bucky. After watching them pine uselessly, the Avengers and Company do their best to get them together, even if the oblivious idiots make it more difficult than it needs to be.





	Resting Murder Face

**Author's Note:**

  * For [occultangels](https://archiveofourown.org/users/occultangels/gifts).



> For the prompt: (This may have been done before but I love the idea so much!) Bucky is a human disaster so Tony thinks Bucky hates him because he's always glaring at him whenever they're in a room together but nope that's actually Bucky's "I care about you a lot but I don't know how to say it and I'm sorry this is just my face" face. So Steve and Sam have to step in to wingman for this loser. (Bonus points if Rhodey and Pepper are wingmaning for Tony!) 
> 
> We've also got some Alpha!Bucky and Omega!Tony with mutual pining :D

"Hey Bucky," Tony said when he walked into the kitchen. He smiled at him as he started the coffee maker. "How was your run?"

Bucky said nothing and glared at him like he always did. After a pause so long that Tony thought he was going to ignore him, he mumbled, "It was fine."

Struggling to keep his smile on his face, Tony said, "That's good." He didn't have the heart to try and keep a one-sided conversation going, so he got his favorite mug down and pretended it was random choice because he didn't think that Bucky would appreciate Tony's favorite mug being a watercolor rendition of the Winter Soldier's symbol. Much less the delicate flowers that looped around the rest of the cup when the star was done.

He was awake enough to actually be able to taste it, so he added a generous amount of sugar and heavy cream before sitting at the table. Bucky continued to glare at him as Tony sipped at his coffee, and after he got through half of his cup, he decided that was enough for the moment. He sighed, getting to his feet and holding the mug close since apparently this was the closest he'd ever get to Bucky. "Have a good day," he muttered, shuffling away shamefully.

It was obvious that Bucky didn't like him, why did he keep trying to do this? Like spending a couple minutes with him would magically make Bucky like him? Or at least not hate him? He should do the man a favor and leave him alone, but... he was selfish. He wanted to steal as much time with Bucky as he could.

God he probably scented desperation and that's why Bucky knew to keep his distance as soon as they met. Because the truth was, Tony had been desperate for his attention the minute he saw him. He had no idea why Pepper and Rhodey kept insisting he not give up on this when the relationship was so obviously doomed to not happen.

Steve saw him when he was running away with his figurative tail tucked between his legs. "Hey Tony!" he said with a too-chipper smile. He glanced at Tony's cup and his smile dimmed. "Did something happen?" Normally Tony left the kitchen after two cups, which meant the third was black so he could throw it back for the caffeine, but this one was a light brown.

Tony gripped his cup a little tighter and the smile he gave Steve was brittle around the edges. "Why would you say that? It's a peaceful morning in Avenger Tower, what could have happened? You worry too much." He stepped around Steve and hurried for the elevator before he could stop Tony for an actual answer.

Steve gave his retreating figure a strange look and made his way to the kitchen with a growing sense of dread that he knew exactly what had happened because it had happened a dozen times before.

Sure enough, Bucky was sitting at the table with his head in his hands. He jerked his head up with a hopeful look, but it darkened when he saw that it was Steve and not Tony. "Oh. It's you."

Steve snorted. "Nice to see you too pal." He grabbed the juice from the fridge along with a carton of eggs. "So what did you say to Tony?"

"Nothing."

"Bucky--" Steve started with a sigh, but Bucky stopped him before he could say anything else.

"I swear I didn't say anything!"

"And you don't think that maybe that's the problem?"

Bucky frowned, and it sort of made him look like he was about to commit a murder. People thought this was a post-Winter Soldier development, and Steve didn't have the heart to tell them that actually Bucky always looked like that when he wasn't actively smiling. "What?"

"C'mon Buck. You don't talk to Tony, you don't smile at him, did you ever think that maybe he thinks you don't like him and that's why he doesn't seem happy around you?"

"Tony talks to everyone, whether he thinks they like him or not," Bucky pouted, staring into his glass like it held the answers to the universe. Or at least the answers to winning Tony's heart, which Steve could give him if Bucky listened to him for once. Or Sam, but honestly Steve didn't think Bucky would listen to Sam if he said there were people living in Australia. Steve could tell Bucky was getting moody about it because he started scenting 'sad' and 'lonely'. On the one hand he wanted to roll his eyes and knock him upside the head and tell him to grab Tony and kiss him, but he knew that Bucky wasn't (just) being stupid, he had insecurities about his arm and his Winter Soldier days, both of them pretty securely keeping him from flirting with Tony like he normally would have.

"Why don't you start small?" Steve suggested.

"The last time you tol' me something 'small' he got so nervous around me he couldn't even look at me."

Steve didn't stop himself from rolling his eyes this time. Sam had a surprisingly good sense of style, and he'd found a great outfit for Bucky to wear when they all went out to dinner. The truth was that he'd looked so good that Tony had doubled up on his scent suppressants and been flushed for the entire meal, averting his eyes anytime Bucky caught him looking. The problem with that plan, they'd all decided, was that it relied on Tony making the first move and that was never going to happen if he still thought that Bucky hated him. "Make cupcakes or something. You know Tony can't resist desserts."

Bucky perked up, not enough to be noticeable for anyone that wasn't watching for it, but since Steve was looking, he saw it. "That's true. I guess I can give that a try," he said casually, but Steve recognized that glint in his eye and was sure that Bucky was planning at least three different desserts, none of them anything as simple as cupcakes.

* * *

Sitting at the table with Bucky menacingly pushing cute pastries at him was not something Tony thought he would have to deal with that evening, but here he was. They looked delicious, like something straight off a baking show, but Tony had been trying to watch what he was eating. He was very aware of the fact that he wasn't getting any younger-- forty and still unmated and growing grey hairs around his temples-- and he was starting to get pudgy around his stomach no matter how much he exercised. Therefore: watching what he eats.

Not to mention that he was a little afraid that Bucky had poisoned them, no matter how illogical he knew that thought was. Bucky was seriously glaring at him though, and the last several times anyone else had looked at him that way, they ended up trying to kill him. In some cases they had already been in the process of attempting to murder him when he got that look. So it was understandable that he would be a little shy to eat something offered to him by someone wearing that look. But then he looked at the pastries and felt his mouth water, entirely without permission. To hell with it, he thought, reaching for one of the chocolate decadent things. If he died, he died, and at least it would happen before he completely lost himself to old age.

He took a bite, and he didn't feel any poison coursing through his veins-- not a surprise, really, but a welcome confirmation all the same. He nibbled on it some more before putting it down, wanting to cry. It tasted heavenly, like melted chocolate and nougat had created a love child and this was the result, and Tony knew that if he didn't step away now he never would. He'd eat all of them otherwise, giving himself a stomach ache as well as ruining any hopes at maintaining his current diet.

"You didn't like it," Bucky stated.

"No!" Tony protested immediately. "No, it's great. This is amazing Bucky, I swear you could be a pro at this if you wanted to give up heroing. I'm just on a diet, and I don't want to ruin it."

"It's fine," Bucky mumbled, taking the plate away and throwing it carelessly on the kitchen counter. It rattled, and one of them fell off and landed on its top, ruining the delicate design he'd painstakingly put on it, but Bucky didn't notice, storming out of the kitchen.

Tony sank into his seat shamefully. Why couldn't he do anything right with him? It seemed like no matter what the situation was, he fucked it up.

Steve didn't know what was happening, except that as Bucky was passing him in the hall, he glared at him-- a real one, not just his resting face-- and punched him solidly in the arm.

* * *

"Okay," Pepper said, rubbing at her temples after yet another failed attempt to get Tony and Bucky talking, "that did not work."

"No kidding," Rhodey said. He sighed, glancing at something off screen that the rest of them couldn't see. "Listen I've got like ten minutes before I have to go, so someone needs to tell me something."

"Barnes is an idiot," Sam said.

"They're both idiots," Pepper said, grimacing. "We need to get Bucky to smile at Tony once, and then Tony will be tripping over himself for another one that it'll even be obvious to Bucky what's going on."

"You sure you wanna take that bet?" Rhodey raised an eyebrow. "Cause I'm not sure you'll win."

"Do you have a better idea?"

"No," he admitted. "But how do we get Bucky to smile?" He looked at Steve's face on his screen. "This is where you come in Cap, start talking."

Steve made a face wracking his brain for anything that not only made Bucky smile, but would make him do it with Tony around. "He's a pretty happy drunk," he offered.

"I don't think--" Sam started to say, but Rhodey cut him off.

"It's the best thing we've got right now. I doubt it'll make things worse. Hopefully. Grab some of Thor's good stuff, get Bucky drinking, and make sure he's alone with Tony at some point."

"You don't think it'll be bad for Tony to be around him while he's drinking?" Pepper asked worriedly.

Rhodey shook his head. "If it was a party maybe, but Tony wouldn't touch something that strong on accident. He'll be fine." He turned to Sam and Steve, sitting on the couch together. "So, can you do it?"

"Definitely."

Steve was less sure, but he nodded too. This might go horribly wrong-- like the pastries had-- but he thought that Rhodey was right. It probably wouldn't get much worse than it currently was.

* * *

It had been surprisingly easy to get Bucky drinking. Steve had just brought out the bottle and poured both of them a glass. He sipped at his drink as they talked, but Bucky downed two in the time that Steve drank half of his glass, so that was a good sign. He was pretty sure that was a good sign, at least.

Jarvis was perfectly willing to help with the operation and was keeping Steve updated on when it looked like Tony was going to rise from the workshop. Steve bided his time, starting to yawn through his laughter when it looked like Tony was getting close to coming up, and finishing his drink when Jarvis sent the alert that Tony was starting to close everything down.

"I think I'm gonna head to bed," Steve said, stretching his arms over his head.

"Alright," Bucky said, unbothered and loose with a returning smile when Steve sent him one as he left. In the interest of not lying to his best friend more than was necessary, he did actually go to bed, but he pulled his tablet into his lap to read for a while before he tried to sleep. He thought, for a moment, about spying on them to see if it worked, but that seemed rude and besides, he'd surely find out how it went tomorrow.

Tony wandered into the living area, running his hand through his hair. Maybe he could watch a few episodes of some comedy before he went to bed to wind down since it didn't look like anyone else was up. Almost immediately after he finished the thought, he saw Bucky sitting on the main couch and tripped over his feet.

"Tony?" he sat up, looking over at him worriedly. "You okay?"

Tony nodded, unable to talk for the embarrassment clouding his brain.

"You uh- wanna sit?" he offered hesitantly, gesturing at the empty space next to him.

Tony blinked. Then blinked again. Gone was the Bucky that glared at him like he had nothing better to do, and he'd been replaced with a Bucky that looked a little soft around the edges and like he would actually, genuinely enjoy Tony's company right now. And, well, how could he say no to that? Tony folded himself into the spot next to him, noting the glass and bottle on the table. "Thor's mead?" he said, tipping his head towards them.

"Yeah, me and Stevie were talkin'."

"Oh, sorry I didn't mean to interrupt," he said, though he didn't see Steve anywhere around.

Bucky shook his head. "You didn't interrupt anything." He looked at Tony, then the bottle as if seeing it for the first time. "Did you want me to put it away? Cause I can--" he started to lean forward, looking like he was going to get to his feet this instant to put it away.

Tony chuckled, stopping him with a hand on his arm. "No Bucky, it's fine, don't worry about it." In all honesty, he wasn't even tempted at the moment.

"Okay." Bucky leaned back into the couch, looking more relaxed around Tony than he had ever seen him.

They sat in a comfortable silence for a minute before Tony found himself blurting, "I really did like those chocolate mini-cake things. That you made the other day," he clarified, as if there where other chocolate mini-cake things in his life, much less ones that he would be talking to Bucky about. "I'm just trying to watch my weight." Much as he despised the signs of getting older, he wouldn't be worrying about it half as bad if he weren't currently a superhero fighting to save the world every week.

"Oh. Sorry, I didn't know."

"It's fine. It was really nice for you to offer them; they were delicious."

"I made them for you," Bucky said, not looking at him. "That's why I was upset when I thought you didn't like them."

"Oh," Tony breathed. Bucky had wanted him to enjoy them because he'd made them especially for him. That was sweet, much sweeter than Tony had ever thought Bucky would be towards him. He swallowed thickly. This was dangerous, because he was about to start hoping for more in a much worse way than he'd been doing before. "No, I- uh, I'd like anything you make me." He cleared his throat uncomfortably, not really wanting to see how Bucky would react to that confession. "I'm going to bed," he said suddenly, getting to his feet. "Have a good night."

"You too," Bucky said quietly, and Tony turned around to see Bucky looking at him with a soft expression.

* * *

Tony woke up the next morning, wondering if the night before with Bucky had been a strange dream. He padded to the kitchen, and Bucky was already there, frying up enough breakfast to feed an army. Or the Avengers.

He glanced at Tony for a split second before he looked away, and Tony's heart dropped, thinking that yeah, maybe last night had been a fluke. It wouldn't really surprise him if Thor had something other than alcohol in the drinks he brought back from Asgard based on some of those stories he told-- not to mention the talent of the ever so fun villain Amora.

Except a couple moments later, Bucky was pushing a plate towards Tony with a challenging glare on his face like he was daring Tony to turn it down.

Tony blinked but accepted the plate with a quiet, "Thanks," before going to the table. Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he saw Bucky smile. He whipped his head back to confirm that, but Bucky was back to facing the stove, and Tony was already starting to think that he'd imagined it.

"Good morning," Natasha said, a calculating glint in her eyes. Tony was going to pretend that it wasn't about him and Bucky for as long as he could.

"Morning," he managed around a mouthful of pancakes. Ooo blueberry pancakes! If he wasn't already head over heels for the man, he certainly would be now.

"So did you find a date for the gala tonight?"

Tony glared at her. If these pancakes weren't so delicious, he might have thrown one at her.

"Why don't you take one of us?" Sam suggested innocently from behind his teacup.

"But not us," Steve said, motioning between himself, Sam, and Natasha. "We've got plans."

"What kind of plans?" Tony asked suspiciously.

"The kind that we couldn't get out of even if we wanted to," Nat said. She took a pointed bite off her fork. It felt like a very judgmental bite, somehow.

"I could go with you," Bucky said suddenly. He was still facing the stove and his shoulders were ridiculously tense, but it didn't look like he was being forced to offer either.

"Really?" he asked, then winced because that sounded too excited. "I mean, you don't have to if you'd prefer to stay home; I know that spending the night in a suit around a bunch of rich old farts isn't exactly your idea of good time."

"Can't let you go alone," he said gruffly.

That... didn't inspire confidence, but Tony was too happy to argue the point further. Worst case scenario was that Bucky went with him, had a miserable time, and ditched him for some young hot omega that scented like lilacs. That would fucking hurt of course, but the best case scenario was that he got to spend time with Bucky, and that was certainly a risk Tony was willing to take. Not to mention that Bucky looked mighty fine in a tailored suit, and it tended to fuel Tony's fantasies for the next two weeks after he saw him in one. So really, even if the worst case scenario happened, Tony would be set on wank material for a while.

* * *

As expected, Bucky looked hot as all hell in his suit, a blue so dark it could be mistaken for black at a glance. God how was it legal to have shoulders that broad? Or thighs that thick? Honestly, one of these days Tony was just going to drop dead, and they would actually have to put on his death certificate that it was from the sheer hotness of one Bucky Barnes. And you know what? No one would be able to blame him if they could see how Bucky looked right now. Fucking hell it looked like he was about to do a photo shoot for most gorgeous man alive, not like he was going to a stuffy party with hor dourves and champagne and seldom else.

Tony cleared his throat and looked away, hoping that he hadn't been staring too long. His cheeks dusted with the slightest flush of pink and he really really hoped that he was scenting as interested as he was. He had a bit of scent blocker on, just enough to hide his annoyance during the gala so he wouldn't offend anyone on accident, but it tended to bleed through for stronger emotions.

It was probably enough.

But then he glanced at Bucky again, and saw that he looked a little embarrassed himself and the hope that his scent had been hidden was dashed. Well, at least Bucky wasn't saying anything about it. That was nice. "Ready?" he asked, gesturing towards the car they'd be taking. Now would definitely be the time to back out if he was having second thoughts, but Bucky nodded and walked to the passenger side without hesitating.

Tony was nothing if not resilient, so he built up dreams of Bucky falling in love with him or confessing his undying love to him despite the fact that while Bucky stuck close to his side the entire time, he also didn't look at him. Tony thought he'd caught him looking once or twice, but when he turned his head to look, Bucky was looking at the dance floor or sipping his champagne.

Tony caught sight of Justin Hammer coming his way and grabbed Bucky's arm tightly, turning to talk in his ear. "Listen, you can definitely say no, but I do not want to talk to this asshole so would you like to dance?"

"Sure." He moved his hand to the small of Tony's back and led him to the floor, and Tony nearly slumped over in relief. Hammer had somehow weaseled his way out of jail, and everyone had been too distracted with the aliens attacking New York and the subsequent clean up to pay him enough attention to stop him from getting out. It was massively unfortunate, but because of a few stupid laws, Tony couldn't try to get him back in jail unless 'new information' came up that would change his ruling. As if he hadn't had a fucking life sentence when he got locked up, with no chance at parole. Tony kind of wanted to gut the system sometimes because that was just ridiculous.

He wasn't focused on any of that at the moment though, because Bucky was touching him, wrapping their hands together and pulling Tony close enough that their middles were touching. Jesus Mary and Joseph, but Bucky made him feel like a blushing virgin. If he tilted his head just so and leaned forward a few inches, he'd be able to tuck his nose in Bucky's neck. He couldn't entirely hide the shiver that thought gave him, and Bucky held him closer, obviously thinking that he was cold.

"You okay?" Bucky asked quietly, his voice rumbling through his chest. Pressed together as they were, Tony could feel it vibrating through the arc reactor.

"Yes." He cleared his throat, all thoughts of Hammer gone. "Having a good time?"

"Yes," he said, though that couldn't have possibly been true. He'd just been keeping Tony company the entire time, and Tony hadn't seen him smile once. "You?"

"It's getting better," he said, quiet and intimate like they'd come here together instead of Bucky volunteering just so Tony wouldn't be a loser showing up by himself. God, he even looked up at Bucky through his eyelashes. As soon as he realized what he was doing, he blushed, and jesus christ he hadn't embarrassed himself to the point of blushing since he was fourteen and learning to deal with poorly timed boners.

He expected Bucky would change the subject in some way to let him know that he wasn't interested. He probably wouldn't strand Tony right there on the dance floor, but Tony wouldn't blame him if he did. But instead of Bucky looking away uncomfortably, he held Tony's gaze, molten desire in his eyes. It wasn't that far away from his usual glare honestly, so even while Tony's dick started to raise hopefully, his heart stayed exactly where it was. "I hope I have something to do with that."

"Oh honey you definitely do," Tony breathed, and the next thing he knew, Bucky was leaning down, nudging their noses together before kissing him, his lips a soft caress against Tony's.

He licked his lips as he pulled back, glancing around at the party still swinging around them. They were still moving to the music, the steps so familiar to Tony that he'd barely noticed he was moving. "Have we been here long enough?"

"More than. Let's go," Tony made a face and added awkwardly, "after the song."

Bucky chuckled, and the sound made Tony's blood pulse south. The only thing that really saved Tony from being nervous about it was the fact that he could feel Bucky's own interest pressing against his hip when they spun.

It couldn't have been more than twenty seconds before the song ended, and Bucky was leading him off the floor and making as straight a line as he could for the main exit. "Do you need to say goodbye to anyone?" Bucky asked, though from the way he wasn't slowing down, it was clear that he was only asking out of courtesy and not because he truly thought Tony had to check in with anyone.

"Nope, we're good to blow this place."

There was a loud "Anthony!" coming from the mouth of his least favorite person (or one of them, at least), and since it was public knowledge that Hammer was guilty and had only gotten out on a technicality, Tony had no compunction about replying, "Fuck off Hammer," as he kept walking.

"Friend?" Bucky asked sardonically a minute later, when they went out the door onto the brightly lit carpet that was still set up from everyone's arrival.

"Yeah he's a real joy to be around," Tony said, tone flat as he grimaced. "I'd rather let a cactus fuck me than deal with him."

"Am I a cactus?"

"What? No," Tony said hurriedly, wanting-- needing-- Bucky to understand that this wasn't anything like that, that he actually wanted to be with him, but before he could get another word out, he noticed the mirth in Bucky's expression. "Don't be an asshole," he said, swatting at Bucky's ~~very nice, very firm~~  chest as he relaxed. "I was actually worried for a second."

Happy pulled the limo around, and they climbed in. Tony was very good, in his personal opinion. He put a hand on Bucky's knee, but otherwise kept his hands to himself. More importantly, he kept his mouth to himself. However, Happy took one look in the rearview, saw the way Bucky was looking at Tony like he wanted to devour him, and rolled up the partition. Bucky sealed his mouth over Tony's as soon as the black screen reached the top.

They didn't end up having sex in the car, mostly because they knew the Tower was close by, and there was no point getting started on something they wouldn't finish. Happy was smart and didn't open the door for them, and he also didn't so much as glance in their general direction as they got out.

The walk from the garage to Tony's bedroom was a blur of heat and sensation, and the next thing Tony knew, Bucky was pressing into him, hot and heavy and Tony was clawing at his back begging for more. The only thing he remembered about the walk up there the next morning was how he'd practically soaked through his pants with how much Bucky was turning him on. He didn't feel self-conscious about it at the time, sure that Bucky was enjoying himself just as much. He didn't think about how loudly he was moaning and the way he was constantly babbling because Bucky was kissing along his bonding gland and holding his thigh so tight there would be bruises tomorrow. He didn't think about any of it because Bucky came with a groan, pressing their bodies tight together as he knotted, and Tony followed him over the edge, spurting come between their bodies as he arched up.

Bucky didn't quite collapse on him after that, aware that it would be hard for Tony to breathe if he did, but they were still pressed together from chest to toe while he caught his breath. He looped an arm under Tony and flipped them over in a fluid motion that made Tony squeak in surprise. It took a little maneuvering and Bucky bit his lip when his knot shifted inside Tony, but they got into a comfortable enough position that they could both get to sleep. Tony had always wanted to sleep on top of Bucky, and it was the best night in his entire life to have that fantasy realized along with so many others.

It was therefore disheartening to wake up alone on his bed. On his stupid mattress instead of on Bucky, who he could now vouch for as being much better than any mattress filling or pillow. Because falling asleep to his warmth and the sound of his breathing? Absolute bliss, and definitely the way Tony wanted to go to sleep for the rest of his life. Which brought him back to the very disappointing situation of there being no Bucky in his bed.

He sat up carefully, which proved to be a good idea when his ass twinged. He glanced at the bathroom, but the door was open and the light was off. "J what time is it?"

"Seven in the morning, sir."

"Hmph." Tony felt at either side of him, but the only warmth was from him. Maybe Bucky had woken up hungry and felt too awake to go back to sleep? Tony yawned and stretched, thinking about what he wanted to do next. Bucky was probably in the kitchen or in the common area, so it would be easy enough to tell him that, in the future, he should either stick around or leave a note so Tony would know where he went. He made a face. That might be a little demanding, considering they'd been together for less than twelve hours, but he could probably pitch it as a joke, and then Bucky wouldn't be embarrassed, but he'd also know that Tony did not want to wake up alone.

He wanted to go after him and get a good morning kiss and see if maybe lazy morning sex was an option, but he also felt kinda crusty and gross with come staining the back of his thighs, and come to think of it, he didn't smell great from sweating so much last night either. A shower would help to soothe some of his aching muscles, so, plan in mind, he nodded to himself and gingerly got to his feet.

By the time he got out, he came to the conclusion that yes, a shower had been an excellent idea. He felt cleaner and much less sore than when he'd stepped in. He noted, with no small amount of satisfaction, that there were indeed bruises on his hips and thighs from Bucky's hands.

He pulled on comfy clothes-- aka, loose-- and hoped no one would ask. He wasn't ashamed-- not by a long shot-- but believe it or not, he did like to keep certain things private. And how Bucky had pounded him last night for what was undoubtedly the best fuck of his entire life? Yeah, that was his dream and he wasn't sharing.

So he went to the communal kitchen for coffee, expecting to see Bucky on the couch or at the kitchen table. He frowned when he didn't see him in either location.

"Morning Tony," Natasha said from where she was shoveling oatmeal into her mouth. "Have a good time last night?"

"Uh, I guess." He'd be able to blame his absent reply on the lack of coffee in his stomach, though he wasn't sure how well that lie would work on her if she pressed. "Have you seen Bucky today?"

She shook her head, then dumped more brown sugar on her oatmeal so there was a one to one ratio of sugar to oats. "Steve might know. Why?"

Tony shrugged. "Wanted to thank him for last night," he said because the best lie was one that was half-true. "Thanks Tasha." He poured some coffee and left, only noticing when he got to the 'shop that he'd grabbed a Winter Soldier style mug.

And that's around the time he started to panic.

* * *

"Woah- no, hey- Tony would you just wait for two seconds?" Rhodey said, grabbing Tony's shoulders.

Tony stared up at him balefully, and Rhodey reflected that it was these same lost puppy eyes that made them friends in the first place. "But honey bear," he said pathetically, "he snuck out. Not just out of bed, out of the entire tower! How am I supposed to take that? Besides, he never actually said that he liked me. He didn't even stop glaring at me."

Rhodey gave him a look of complete incredulity. "You had sex. Are you seriously trying to tell me that he was glaring at you the entire time? Also, you've had hate sex Tony, you know what that looks like. Can you stand here and honestly tell me that what you and Bucky did was hate sex?"

Tony blinked. "Well, no, it didn't really feel like hate sex, but what am I supposed to think? He left!"

"Yeah, okay, he left and that's bad, but did you ever think that maybe he thought you wouldn't want him there when you woke up?"

"Why wouldn't I want him there?"

Rhodey sighed, bringing his hands from Tony's shoulders to rub at his eyes. What the fuck was he supposed to say. Oh sure he could try to explain the convoluted reasoning that was going on in Bucky's head, but Tony wouldn't believe him, and he'd have to try and work his way around Tony's own insecurities and assumptions before anything stuck. He groaned internally, wondering why it was him that had to do this. "Okay Tony." He dropped his hands back to his side. "You know how you think Bucky's too good for you?"

He nodded.

"He thinks the same thing about you."

Tony blinked. "What?"

"Bucky thinks you're too good for him."

"But he's-"

"I know," Rhodey said quickly, because Tony could and would spend hours talking about how perfect Bucky was. "But you know how you're completely head over heels for him, thinking that there's not really anybody on the planet that could be good for him? He thinks. The exact. Same. Thing. He thinks there's no way you could be interested in him because you could have anybody in the entire world, and he doesn't think he's all that impressive."

"But." Tony frowned.

"He probably thinks it's a miracle that you've looked at him twice, let alone slept with him."

"But."

"Sounding like a broken record there Tones."

Tony glared at him, and Rhodey was largely unaffected. "He ran away," Tony said pitifully, hanging his head.

Good lord sometimes Tony looked like the world's cutest puppy, and other times he was a giant pain in the ass. "Have you texted him?" Rhodey asked, and Tony shook his head. "Maybe he just went out for donuts and you're worrying over nothing." He doubted that was the case, but maybe if Tony texted him, Bucky would haul ass back to the tower and fix this so that Rhodey wouldn't have to do it himself.

"Maybe..." Tony said uneasily.

"Just text him. If he blows you off, then we'll turn on a rom-com and eat shitty ice cream for the rest of the day. Okay?"

Tony chewed on the inside of his cheek. "Okay." It was just a text? How hard could it be to send a text? It's not like he needed to make a love confession or anything, he just needed to say hi. ...or would that seem like he was uninterested in a relationship and that he was just trying to get things back to normal? He didn't want Bucky to think that he was doing that, because what if there was a miscommunication and Bucky wanted to date him but Tony accidentally made him think it wasn't an option? He wouldn't be able to handle a stupid mistake like that, but that didn't help him know what he should be writing, either.

Before he could talk himself out of it, he shot off a quick text. **Missed you this morning.** Sent. Then he frowned. That sounded a little... abrupt. **You okay?** There, that sounded better. Now Bucky knew that Tony had wanted him to stay, but it didn't sound demanding. At least, he didn't think so. God he was going to drive himself insane with this.

It was a few minutes before he got a response, but when he did, it was promising. _**On way back.**_

Another couple minutes passed though, and Tony thought that maybe it wasn't as promising as he'd originally thought. He was going to worry himself into an early grave at this rate, but he didn't know how to stop. It's not like he could distract himself really, since he didn't want to be busy when Bucky got back in case they Talked. So he did what he always did: he made coffee. The walk up the common floor took a little bit since he was using the stairs, and he was more methodical about his measurements than he usually was to draw it out. He still had enough time for a cup and a half of coffee before Bucky showed up, padding into the kitchen quietly and looking around like he wasn't sure they were alone.

Tony swallowed thickly, because Bucky looked just as gorgeous as Tony had thought he would. It was probably a myth that you could look at someone and tell if they'd had sex the previous night, but it sure as hell looked visible on Bucky. Or maybe that was Tony's ego talking, but he'd like to think that he was a pretty good lay. He felt the slightest of tingles at the direction his mind had gone, but it wasn't enough for Bucky to smell through his scent blockers. "Morning," he said, which felt inadequate.

"Morning," Bucky mumbled. He didn't shuffle forward, but he moved hesitantly enough that it felt like he was. "Sleep well?"

"Yeah. I uh, woke up and you weren't there."

"I didn't know if you'd want me there," he said quietly.

Tony blinked because what. "Of course I did."

Bucky shrugged awkwardly. "We never talked about it. You never really... said what ya wanted."

"Neither did you," Tony said defensively.

"Yeah that's- I guess that's true," he mumbled.

And neither of them said anything for a minute.

Tony sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Okay. I want- to date you."

"Really?" Bucky asked disbelievingly, like he hadn't expected Tony to say that.

"Uh. Yeah? This isn't something I would joke about."

"I know, I just..." Bucky trailed off, glaring at him.

Wait. "Are you glaring at me?"

"No," Bucky said, seeming honestly confused.

"Oh my god," Tony breathed. "I thought you hated me but you just have resting bitch face! Well, resting murder face more like, because I've seen the resting bitch face and this is that but times ten."

"You thought I hated you?"

"Resting. Murder. Face."

"I don't want to kill you Tony."

"Well that's good news."

"I want to wrap you up in a blanket and feed you pastries."

"What part of me being on a diet is escaping you?" Tony groused, though in all honesty he wouldn't mind so much if Bucky made a few assurances that he wasn't going to dump him when he got chubby.

Bucky narrowed his eyes at Tony, but now that he knew murder wasn't on the page, it didn't scare him in the slightest. "The part where you'd look cute."

"Aww," Tony said obnoxiously to cover his slight blush, "Bucky thinks I'm cute."

"You'd be cuter if you-"

Tony grabbed him by the front of his shirt and kissed him, hard. "I'm cute enough to get you, and that's all that matters."

"Okay," Bucky agreed easily, looking dazed.

"Good." Tony kissed him again because, well, why not? He had an extremely handsome murder boyfriend after all; he couldn't just let him sit there un-kissed.


End file.
